The American Petroleum Institute (API) is preparing to establish a task force composed of representatives from the Auto Alliance, API, and American Chemistry Council (ACC) that would be charged with identifying improvements to the API engine oil standards development process, a step API has taken after the development of the last few engine oil standards, according to Kevin Ferrick, senior manager of API’s Engine Oil Licensing and Certification System (EOLCS).

The task force would be charged with identifying improvements to the API engine oil standards development process, Ferrick told the ASTM Subcommittee D02.B meeting on June 28 in Boston, Mass.

Areas for improvement could include speed of API category development, engine test development and funding, and inclusion of international participants. The makeup of the task force will likely be determined at the June or July Lubricants Group meetings, and task force representatives will begin meeting soon after the task force is formed.

New Passenger Car Engine Oil Standards: The Lubricants Group continues to work with representatives from the Auto Alliance and the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) on the development of new passenger car engine oil standards. The standards, currently identified as ILSAC GF-6A and GF-6B, are expected to include new tests with more stringent performance requirements and feature for the first time separate requirements for lower viscosity oils. Oils meeting these lower viscosity requirements are likely to be identified with a unique designation or a new symbol to prevent misapplication by service providers and consumers. The current timeline places first licensing sometime in 2018, but the actual date may slip into 2019.

New Heavy Duty Engine Oil Standards: As of June 23, API has approved more than 500 products against the new API CK-4 standard and 70 against the API FA-4 standard.Marketers with licensed CK-4 or FA-4 oils are now permitted to display a CK-4 or FA-4 API Service Symbol “Donut” on their licensed brands and refer to the oils as API certified or approved. API CK-4 is an upgrade to the previous CJ-4 category that had been in place from 2006 to 2016. FA-4 is expected to be recommended by diesel engine manufacturers for engines designed to meet more stringent greenhouse gas emissions requirements.

This year marks an important milestone for API’s engine oil standard development process. API issued its first engine oil classifications, “Regular,” “Premium,” and “Heavy Duty,” 70 years ago.